Safety Tips

Protect your identity.

Most people would not tell a complete stranger their full name, phone number, email address or other sensitive personal information (including bank account details), so be wary when posting this info on your profile. Being careful about revealing your identity is a smart move when chatting on Grindr. If you decide to take chatting one step further and call or text someone on the phone, you might also want a use a service like Google Voice or Line2, both of which allow you to give people a second number and block them easily.

Don't believe everything you see.

A photo can't always be trusted; the person may have taken someone else's photo or found one somewhere. Also, keep in mind that the photo that person sent you may be outdated, edited or retouched.

Don't rush into things.

Don’t be rushed, and don’t rush the other person. Share your location only when you feel comfortable, and don't feel pressured if the other person has already sent you his location. Remember, Grindr updates your location only when the app is on, and there is a setting that allows you to hide your distance from your profile. (To hide your distance: Within Grindr, tap ‘Menu,’ then ‘Settings,’ then ‘Edit Profile.’ Then, scroll down to ‘Account Settings’ and turn ‘Show Distance’ to the off position.) Agree to meet only when you both are comfortable with each other, and consider meeting in a public place.

Honesty is the best policy.

If you start out lying, you will eventually get caught. Don’t bait and switch -- it's the surest way for things to end badly. Grindr is not the venue for you to explore your fantasies of being a different person. That’s not fair to the Grindr community, which thrives on honest representations.

Tell a friend.

Make sure a responsible person you trust knows who you’re meeting, where you’re going, and when you’re planning on coming back.

Report any attacks or threats to law enforcement.

If things go wrong, report it to the police. Give them all the facts. If you do not report this person, he in all likelihood will do it again to someone else. You always have the right to say "no" and have it respected.

Always go with your gut instinct.

Don’t ignore your instincts. Your first instinct is usually the best instinct. Don’t go against your feelings -- listen to them. If your gut tells you that something is wrong, cut it short and get out of there. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Be aware that other users of the Grindr App may be able to determine your location.

Grindr uses your mobile device’s location to calculate your distance from other users, to allow you to identify the relative distance to other users, and for other users to identify your relative distance from them. Any App that uses relative distance information has an inherent risk that your actual location may be determined, through sophisticated attacks or by a user who accesses the app from multiple locations while you remain in the same location. Grindr offers you the option to hide your “distance from” information, but even if you choose to do so your profile will still be sorted in the cascade of other Grindr users based on your relative location. This means that other users may still be able to estimate your “distance from” and, depending upon how many other users are in the area that do disclose their “distance from,” determine your location.

You can turn off your “distance from” information by reading this short article here.